A Journey Through Simplicity

This is my monthly post for the wonderful Retro Cafe Art Gallery and while I usually do technical tutorials, I feel I need to do a different type of tutorial. This particular step by step serves as a reminder for me.

Often times, I get so wrapped around how big, grand, and detail oriented I feel my projects and creations must be, especially when I am representing another company or shop. After all, isn’t that what my “claim to fame” is? Aren’t my creations most noted for the amount of detail that goes into each piece?

The pressures I put on myself are stress-inducing and as a result, I often hit a road block that I can’t seem to get over or through. What happens in the end is I sit down, get to work, and hate every second of it. Something that is suppose to be joyous and a release from the day to day turns into the day to day and a chore. The mojo flees. The creativity stagnates. The desire is extinguished.

Please. Sit back, grab a cup of coffee or tea, and just relax with me as I take you through my journey in simplicity.

It’s important to remember where we started as crafters and artists. For me, it all started with a piece of pretty patterned paper and a photograph. While I no longer scrapbook, I do still have remnants of those deeply seeded roots. As such, it’s only fitting that I use a piece of patterned paper as a starting point. Since I work in mixed media and I was focusing on more humble beginnings, collage seemed to be the way to go. Simple yet effective. On one side, I have this beautiful patterned paper, on the other, newsprint tissue paper.

Once my tiny shrine was assembled, I had to laugh as I sat down to add beads. I guess I can never truly let go of the smallest details. I came to understand that these tiny beads which are applied one by one with a needle and glue are very much a part of my art journey.

What this simple, tiny shrine has told me as it came to life is that detail may not be my problem. Size is. This teeny piece has taught me that even the smallest of projects and ideas can carry the same impact that larger pieces like my dolls and crowns do. And maybe it isn’t necessarily about impact but more about heart. My heart, soul, and a lot of self reckoning went into this itty bitty darling but the vision it has blessed me with is much grander.

“Go big or go home” can be equally applicable to the smallest of undertakings. It’s okay to keep things simple even if your idea of simple may be a bit different than what is literal. For me, “simple” means small. Details can still be big, like the beads and the jewelry finding tucked inside this shrine. But scale doesn’t always have to be “bigger is better”.